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Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce is an Australian politician in the''' Australasian Confederation. Australasian Confederation |party= |events= |status = Alive}} History Early Life Stanley Bruce was born in Melbourne on April 15, 1882, the youngest of five children; his father John Munro Bruce was a prominent businessman of Scottish descent. He was educated at Glamourgan (now part of Geelong Grammar School) and at Melbourne Grammar School. His father died in 1901, the year that Bruce finished school; after a year working in the family firm, Bruce moved to England with his mother and sister. Bruce entered Cambridge University in January 1903, and after graduating in 1906 was admitted as a barrister. While he practiced law in London, he also managed the London office of his father's importing business. During the Weltkrieg When the Weltkrieg broke out, Bruce joined the British Army in January 1915 and was commissioned to the Worcestershire Regiment. Seconded to the Royal Fusiliers as temporary captain, he fought in the Gallipoli campaign; he went ashore at Hellas and on June 3 was wounded. Bruce rejoined the fighting at Suvla Bay where he won the Military Cross for making contact with an isolated section, but in October he was wounded in the knee and invalided to England. Later he received the Croix de Guerre avec Palme in recognition of the support his battalion had given to the French. Political career Upon his return to Melbourne in January 1917 as a decorated hero of Gallipoli, Captain Bruce – though no great orator and with a decidedly British manner – was involved in Australia’s recruitment campaigns for the remaining years of the war. His public speaking attracted the attention of the Nationalist Party and he became the Nationalist Party’s candidate in the seat of Flinders, in Victoria. Having won an election on May 11, 1918, Bruce became a Member of the House of Representatives for Flinders. From his position, he encouraged the military effort and the support to the British Empire. His background in business led to his being appointed Treasurer (finance minister) on December 21, 1921 for Billy Hughes's government after Joseph Cook's resignation. Bruce exploited public fears of syndicalism and militant trade unions and appealed for law and order against strikes and 'foreign agitators', whom he blamed for the loss of wages and the rising prices. He was not satisfied with the inefficiency of Australian industry and hoped to improve productivity by taking expert advice and creating advisory services; he also tried to create a national transport system by providing federal money for roads and pushing for a standardisation of railway gauges. One of his main objective was to create a stronger link between Britain and its Dominion, so he expanded the investment opportunities in order to attract British capital to Australia. When the Emergency Protocols Act of 1923 cancelled the scheduled elections, King George V appointed Bruce as Attorney-General. However, despite proving to be an efficient administrator, his relationship with Prime Minister Hughes was cold and there was little trust between the two; Bruce did not approve of Hughes' socialist past, and the latter disapproved of the manners and the methods of the former. Family At Sonning, Berkshire (now Union of Britain), Bruce married on July 12 1913 Ethel Dunlop Anderson (born on May 25, 1879), daughter of Andrew George Anderson and grand-daughter of Thomas Manifold. Ethel was to be his closest confidante; letters to friends reveal that the decisions which touched him personally and closely were usually made in consultation with her. They took motoring holidays together, shared interests in bridge and golf, went regularly to the theatre. On his journeys overseas and around Australia, she always went with him and he was especially helped by her quick recollection of people they had met. They have no children. See also * Australasian Confederation * George V * Billy Hughes Category:People Category:Australians